For such a big-noise manufacturer, TVR had gentle beginnings. In 1938, the 14-year-old Trevor Wilkinson began his apprenticeship at a local garage, which would lead him on an adventure into the automotive industry. In 1947, he built his first car, based on an Alvis Firebird.  It featured an aluminium body of his own design and proved so promising that Trevcar Motors started building more, between day-to-day servicing and repair jobs.

Two years later, Wilkinson sold his first car. He also renamed his company TVR Engineering. His original plan was to call his sports cars Trevors, but concerned friends talked him out of that. No-one, they figured, would buy a car named Trevor.
 
What set this special apart from its predecessors was that it was underpinned by a strong multi-tube chassis designed and built by Wilkinson. It didn’t last long, and was crashed before it was finished – but it proved the strength of the Wilkinson-engineered chassis. By 1951, he’d built three of these TVRs.

The profits from his first (sold for £325) were ploughed into the next – and so on. And each of these early specials was better than the last. In 1954, the TVR ‘Sports Saloon’ went on sale and, although it owed much to the earlier cars, it was designed for series production. It sported a streamlined glassfibre bodyshell (supplied by RGS Atalanta, Rochdale or Microplas), and enthusiastic owners could order their TVR from £650 (fully built) with a variety of power units. These ranged from the Ford 10hp engine, via the BMC A- or B-series, to a 2.5-litre, four-cylinder Lea-Francis OHV. In this form, the compact and aerodynamic TVR would easily top 90mph, making it a popular performance car bargain. And from there came the TVR Mark 1.

The marque endured a convoluted and gradual development in these formative years, and it was no different during the company’s heyday. You can read the story of TVR from Grantura to Sagaris – and hopefully beyond – over the next 9 pages. 

To follow the TVR story click HERE